Beneath a Shadowed Moon
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: [AT] His relatives didn't want him in their way, so he returned only long enough for them to know he hadn't disappeared – or run away. The rest of the time he wandered the city, meeting a lonely stranger that both pulled him in and pushed him away…
1. Wishes

**A/N:** For the 25 Chapters, 100 Word Drabbles MC Competition. As the name suggests, its 25 chapters, 100 words each, amounting to a single story. Like a regular multichip, just with far more constraints. The number in the brackets will tell you the number of the prompt I picked. Whether I go in order or not, there's still more prompts than chapters allowed. :)

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**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 1 (001) – Wishes**

Vernon ranted under his breath as he drove along, but Harry tuned him out. He knew the gist of it anyway, and between the sharp elbows from his cousin beside him and glares from his Aunt at the front, it was difficult to forget.

They despised his presence, and if it hadn't been for Mrs Figg's sudden hospitalisation he would have remained, trapped, at Privet Drive.

The mutters faded into the background of flashing buildings. Harry took it all in hungrily; it was rare for him to be so lucky after all…and he hoped nothing would ruin it for him.


	2. Original

**A/N: **Panicked when I realised the due date was coming up and I still only had 1/25 chapters done. And really lucked out on the word count for this one; exactly 100 words without any editing. :)

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**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 2 (002) – Original**

They arrived at the hotel late that evening, but that didn't stop Vernon from sending Harry to the stove. Petunia bustled about behind him, humming some annoying tune and putting her precious pots and pans away – and Dudley simply stood in the middle of the room: a picture of impatience.

The meal was made and served to its usual quality and manner: tasteful but still inferior to Petunia's, and far less appreciated. And then he was on his way with a dry unflavoured cracker: the remnant of Dudley's car-ride snacks.

He stepped out the door into the wondrous twilight street.


	3. Lonely

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 3 (027) – Lonely**

It was nothing like Privet Drive: the bland grey houses and streets were replaces by splashes of colour, and Harry found himself swept up by the dizziness of it all. He'd walked down the street where their hotel was once and then back again, and yet the image was still a canvas of mixed paint colours.

He wondered if this was how "new" appeared, somewhere with so little resemblance to the life he knew. Even at school Dudley was there, and Dudley's friends, and the blandness of their neighbourhood.

It was somewhat frightening, alone in the new world, but exhilarating.


	4. Exception

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 4 (026) – Exception**

A man stopped him on his fourth repeat: a man in a ragged pair of shirts and pants and an even more worn out face.

Harry'd had a few looks cast his way: pitying, curious, disapproving. But the man to stop him was the first to do so, and he was surprised – more so when the man's eyes widened at the sight of him.

'Where –' the man began, and Harry, pre-empting the question had a preformed answer on his lips before the other finished. 'Where are your aunt and uncle?'

Not "where are your parents".

Harry could only stare.


	5. Eyes

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 5 (021) – Eyes**

'You knew my parents.'

Harry sat on a bench dimly brushed with lamplight, and Remus Lupin, as he had introduced himself, sat beside him.

'Your father more than your mother,' Remus replied, 'but I knew them both very well.'

Things were quieter now, less bright and more…familiar, somehow. Maybe the glamour had worn off, or maybe meeting a link to his past, his _family_, had dragged him to an old space and time.

'Tell me about them!' He stood up, green eyes wide and pleading. '_Please_! I don't – I want…to _know_ them…'

Remus' own eyes were sad, but he agreed.


	6. Luck

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 6 (029) – Luck**

His guardians didn't bother asking where he went, and Harry didn't tell them. As far as all of them were concerned it was a win-win situation. So long as he cooked the meals for them and was out of the way otherwise, it didn't matter what he did with himself. To them at least; it mattered to Harry, and now it mattered to Remus too.

Harry didn't know whether it was destiny or a coincidence that let them meet, far from both their homes. Or maybe that was what happened on holidays; you found things normal lives had left behind.


	7. Frame

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 7 (009) – Frame**

Remus told him about his parents: his father mostly, but he knew quite a bit like his mother too. Harry learnt he had inherited his hair, and her eyes. He learnt he had inherited his knobby knees from his grandfather, a man Remus often met while visiting.

He told of pranks they played in school – which Harry filed away for later use against his cousin – and he told him of the Marauders. He even told him a few stories of his Aunt Petunia – and said Aunt's expression was sour when Harry returned with a skip in his step that evening.


	8. Weather

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 8 (004) – Weather**

A few days into their trip, the weather turned foul. The threat of rain let Dudley to scrunch his face and while and stamp his foot until his parents took him to the movies under a large umbrella.

Harry didn't mind the rain though; he let the cold droplets soak his skin and oversized clothes. He didn't mind it much when the wind came either; it wasn't abnormal after all for him to be exposed to the elements while completing his chores.

But when Remus appeared suddenly with an old umbrella and a thoroughly warm coat, Harry decided the warmth was far better.


	9. Oblivious

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 9 (024) – Oblivious**

Remus was angry at first, when he found Harry wondering around in such a storm.

'You'll catch your death out here like this,' he growled, wrapping the coat around the shivering boy. 'Why aren't you at least in a raincoat?'

Harry blinked up at him in surprise. 'Aunt Petunia says it would be a waste on me, since…I don't get colds anyway.'

The magical blood in him, Remus supposed. That did not mean a guardian could send their ward out in such dress.

It seemed, though, that Harry was incapable of comprehending that…or maybe Remus was just incapable of explaining.

'Let's go to my place.'

'Okay.'


	10. Wall

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 10 (014) – Wall**

Harry wondered if the "don't go to strangers' homes" applied to him, but decided it didn't. Remus wasn't even a stranger; he was a friend of his father, and told him all sorts of stories about him.

And Remus' little flat was nothing like Aunt Petunia's walled up castle, or Mrs Figg's cat paradise. Instead, it was cramped, full of old things, but with a homely feel Harry had never come across before.

'I'm sorry it's not much,' Remus said to him, embarrassment in his tone.

But Harry wondered if the rain really had killed him, and heaven had granted his wish of a home.


	11. Green Eyed Monster

**A/N:** Since Remus is living in a Muggle environment here, he's frozen his photos so they're not the moving sort.

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**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 11 (010) – Green Eyed Monster**

Remus was concerned about how Harry would react to his flat, but the boy looked as though Christmas had come early for him. He had stood spellbound for a good fifteen minutes before drifting to the old furniture as though it housed a wreath made from gold.

Relief, joy, sadness and pity flashed through him at that point, and only the last vanished when Harry drifted over to some still-photos instead.

His tone was light though as he said: 'You were quite the trouble-maker as a child. Smashed that poor vase playing around.'

Harry giggled a little, caught in embarrassment and lost memories.


	12. Angel

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 12 (011) - Angel**

Harry left his one year self with some difficulty, but the next photo was even more captivating.

At first, he wondered why Remus had a photo of Aunt Petunia, but that was before he noticed the differences. The vibrant red hair. The sparkling green eyes so much like his own. The kind yet strong expression. And then he wondered how he could have mixed the two up at all.

Remus came up behind him. 'That's your mother,' he said quietly. 'And there you are, in her arms.'

There was a Christmas tree behind them too, complete with an angel on top.


	13. Twisted

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 13 (013) – Twisted**

It was late in the evening when Harry made it back, for Remus wouldn't let him loose again until the skies cleared. His Aunt was the only one in the hotel when he arrived, turning her nose at his scruffy appearance before doing a double take at the dryness.

She didn't comment though, just tossed some packets at him. 'Hurry up and start cooking; I want food to be ready and warm when Vernon and Dudley get back.'

Harry stared, before complying. The request had taken him a little by surprise, but maybe it was his Aunt's way of saying she missed him.


	14. Teenage Dream

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 14 (006) – Teenage Dream**

Harry lay in bed that night and wondered about his family – both the past and the present one. James and Lily, Remus said, had loved him very much…and if those photos showed even a fragment of their love it was a fine amount indeed. His Aunt and Uncle had never said anything of the sort…

But they _had_ kept him, albeit grudgedly. And it couldn't have been impossible to leave him elsewhere for their holiday. And inquiring about his activities after ordering him out of sight – and then to cook as if they were back home…

Was he imagining it?


	15. Broken

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 15 (005) – Broken**

The next day Remus was waiting for Harry, planning to spend the whole day with him. He'd garnered enough information from the boy to know his guardians wouldn't mind his absence, and with the full moon so close he planned to take full advantage of the time that was left.

After all, by the time he recovered from the ordeal Harry would be gone, back to Surrey where he couldn't reach.

And some of that sadness showed in his eyes, broke his tone. He could do nothing about it though; that brief glimpse of Harry was just that raw to him.


	16. Reason

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 16 (015) – Reason**

Sometimes Remus looked as though he wanted to tell Harry something, but then he thought better of it. But Harry was curious, and one day, over cheap icy-pole stick that tasted like heaven, he asked.

'Mr. Remus –'

'It's just Remus.' The man smiled kindly at him.

Harry couldn't help but smile back. 'Remus,' he repeated, feeling awkward in addressing an adult by their first name. 'Is there something –' He stopped, unsure of how to say it. 'There's something –'

Remus understood, and his eyes dimmed a little in reply. 'There are things you're still too young to hear.'


	17. Purple

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 17 (007) – Purple**

Harry couldn't help but be a little extra fearful of the green light in his dreams the next time he closed his eyes. Somehow, Remus' words came back to mind: of how there were things he was too young to understand. Things far greater than him.

That made the green light all the more frightening. Why couldn't it have been blue instead? Or purple? Something not so obviously blaring everywhere: on the grass, the trees, the neon lights –

He found he couldn't settle down, and before the moon came out he pulled on his sweater and wandered out into the foyer, and then outdoors.


	18. Wood

**Beneath the Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 18 (025) – Wood**

The full moon was coming out that night, and Remus lay awake, waiting for the inevitable.

The flat was quiet. A Muggle flat it may have been, but he had reinforced it with every magical defence he knew, and some he didn't but could afford. The door was one that could not be opened by his werewolf hands, and could not be broken down. The windows likewise were unbreakable, and wooden furniture easily repairable.

His only valuables were the photos, safely put away before night fell. It was no longer a home he lay in, but a self-made prison cell that would last until dawn.


	19. Mine

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 19 (019) – Mine**

Harry was suddenly a child who craved comfort. The night air was cold and clingy, and the green light spurred him onwards. For a while it was aimless wandering, but then he remembered Remus and the tales about his parents and their lives.

Surely Remus knew what the green light was…or at least how to get rid of it. And, somehow, just the idea of Remus was comforting. Like a friend that was his alone, not like a hand-me-down like everything and everyone else…

'My friend…' he said aloud, his feet leading him on even if his head had forgotten the way. 'Mine…'


	20. Flowers

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 20 (028) – Flowers**

There were flowers on the windowsill, Harry noticed as he passed it for the door. Funny smelling ones too – they made part of him want to turn tail and run.

A very small part though; the insecurity which had crept in was a larger one, but he steeled himself and knocked. He felt sure Remus wouldn't turn him away…and if he did, then Harry would know it all to be a fantasy he had built.

But a shocked and ill-looking Remus opened the door and let him in. And Harry's babbles exploded, and the clock got steadily less attention as Remus listened to him.


	21. Forbidden

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 21 (023) - Forbidden**

Remus knew he shouldn't had let Harry in, but the trembling and frightened boy at his doorstep simply could not be turned away. Still, it was dangerous. So dangerous…

But those babbles were a danger too. The green light of the killing curse that plagued his dreams. The fragile heart built from years of ill-granted love. And Remus was there, he could mend that…just a little bit.

At first, he tried to remember the clock, tried to speed things up. But Harry was so warm and safe in his arms, and the thoughts of that fateful night drove the moon out of mind.


	22. Music

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 22 (010) - Music**

The softly murmured melodies of comfort morphed into clanging gongs in a heartbeat, and Remus stiffened before pushing Harry away.

'Go,' he managed, teeth grinding together and entire form shuddering as the moon began to show. 'Go – go –'

Harry was frightened. He remembered the time Vernon had begun to shudder in his chair, and Petunia had brought him some brandy. But there was no brandy to be found here. He remembered what their teachers said – but a phone! He couldn't see a phone anywhere!

Neighbours! The light-bulb went off in his head. Surely one of them had a phone.

He sprinted out.


	23. Heartbeat

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 23 (022) - Heartbeat**

Harry's heart thudded in his chest as the man he had fetched hammered on Remus' door. Scratching and mewls of pain could be heard beyond it, but the wood remained firm to their pounding.

Harry's anxiety increased, up till the point where another man suddenly appeared. He was calm, his tone rough yet steady, and he pointed a stick at the neighbour, who mumbled something and then walked off.

'And you, boy?' The man with the stick turned to Harry, before doing a double-take. 'Harry Potter!'

Harry didn't know how the other knew his name, but didn't get a chance to think about it.


	24. Yours

**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 24 (016) - Yours**

Harry couldn't help but fear the strange man a little, with his wooden leg and stranger eye. But the man didn't look like he meant ill-will, and the strange words he muttered while waving his stick seemed rather harmless.

Then the man turned to him again. 'Where are those Dursleys of yours? Why aren't you in Surrey?'

'H-holiday!' Harry squeaked in surprise.

The man muttered to himself some more, and Harry could only make and "…Muggles don't need to know" and something about a "Dumbledore" out.

Then the wand was at Harry's forehead, and with a "sorry" and an "Obliviate" his dream was gone.


	25. Soul

A/N: Phew, I was worried for a while it wouldn't fit, but perfect. :) Granted, I cut a little of the Dursley side of things out, but it came together quite well. I'm proud of this fic.

BTW, the title had more relation to dreams than to werewolves. Not sure how many people saw that one, considering Remus.

Enjoy the final installment.

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**Beneath a Shadowed Moon  
Chapter 25 (017) – Soul**

Harry was back in the car, his holiday over like flower petals in a breeze. His memory of the week was a blur like the mass of scenery that stretched out now, and it blurred even further as the strips of grey, green and yellow burnt themselves into their mind.

His Uncle seemed amused. 'Had fun, did you?'

Harry didn't know; it didn't seem as though he'd done much, save wander aimlessly about.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember the dream he'd had the night before. That seemed more important, but all he felt was a strange mix of warmth, fear and family.


End file.
